Amid Falling Stars
by Briar Elwood
Summary: Colonel Dean Winchester has been dead for a year. At least, that's what everyone thought. But then SG-1 goes on a routine mission to another planet and meets an amnesiac Dean there. With the help of the rest of the team Dean manages to regain his memories, but then he's left with the question of how he came back. And why? Stargate: SG-1 AU, no previous knowledge of SG-1 necessary
1. Lazarus Rising

**A/N**: No previous knowledge of SG-1 (or any of the Stargate shows) is necessary. This is because I include a glossary of terms at the end of every chapter. These terms will include aliens, technology, organizations, etc. **All of my information is taken directly from the wonderful Stargate Wiki: Stargate Solutions.** My love and appreciation for that site is still going strong after seven years.

* * *

It's just another routine mission. Just the next gate address on the list. The probe had shown some interesting ruins that Sam's looking forward to checking out, but Jo is adamant they don't stick around too long. He can take some pictures to check out back at Command, but once they do the routine check, say hi to any locals, they're headed back home. Sam gets the feeling Ellen's been on Jo's ass again for taking the promotion. (Granted, Jo would've had to been downright nuts to turn it down, but that's Ellen for you.)

Charlie and Benny are chatting about a new show she's introduced him to when they stumble upon the inevitable locals. Sam sets to finding the familiar ground with the guy who seems to be in charge when Jo suddenly hisses, "Oh my god." A bit annoyed at being interrupted, Sam turns to glare at her, but she's staring at something with this look Sam has no idea how to interpret. He follows her gaze and whatever world they're on stops turning.

"Holy shit," he hears Charlie gasp behind him, though it sounds like it's through a thick glass wall. Even Benny's voice loses its warmth when he chokes, "Impossible."

And it is. It is impossible. He's been dead for over a year now. And how the hell would he even end up here, anyway? This is Stargate Command's first time on this planet, anyone from Earth's first time as far as they know. At least in the past couple centuries if traveling by the gate.

But Sam Winchester knows his brother. And barring some freakish similarity, that's Dean.

* * *

Ozien finishes up the repair on the middle-aged lady's wagon (Shamda or something like that) and looks up at her with a wide smile.

"All set."

"Oh, thank you, Ozien!" she titters excitedly. "I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure." He's wiping the sweat off his forehead and hands as he turns, an unfamiliar voice croaking a few feet away, "Dean?"

Standing in the middle of the road is a quartet of strangers, all of them staring at Ozien with wide eyes. He looks warily at Khordib, who looks just as confused as Ozien feels, before frowning at the stranger in front, the tall one with the shaggy hair.

"Can I help you?" he asks, more than a little disconcerted by the four pairs of unblinking eyes fixed on him.

"You... you don't recognize me?" the tall one asks, voice cracking and actually sounding a bit hurt. There's a sinking pit in Ozien's stomach and he curses silently. He knew this would happen eventually. He'd just hoped it wouldn't. That somehow he'd be able to avoid it.

"I'm sorry, no." Maybe if he just keeps it to a minimum, gets out of there quick, he'll be able to sidestep any more.

The lady with the shockingly red hair speaks up, her tone hopeful. "Recognize any of us?"

Ozien glances at the other two politely: the slight girl with blonde hair and the stocky man with a beard and gold Jaffa tattoo on his forehead.

"No. I'm sorry. If that's all...?"

The tall one shakes himself, finally blinking. "No, of course. Sorry to bother you."

Ozien walks away, over to where Neith is watching with interest, his cart of fruit forgotten. Ozien asks a throwaway question about today's selection, which Neith launches into answering right away. Ozien tunes him out and listens to the strangers' conversation with Khordib.

"Ozien?" the redhead is asking, probably repeating the name to Khordib.

"Yes. It is the name we gave him when we found him wandering with no memory of anything before. It means 'his own' in the language of our God."

"God?" There's Goa'uld here?" Another female voice. It must be the blonde.

"That's not Latin," the tall one says. "That's... That's Enochian."

"Enochian? The Ancients?" The blonde sounds incredulous at that. Ozien lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. They sound more interested in the gods than in him now. He accepts a piece of fruit from Neith gratefully and heads back to his tent. Hopefully they'll just leave without wanting to speak to him again, and Ozien can just forget this ever happened.

Of course, that's not what happens at all.

* * *

Ozien's just calming down, focused on the wood carving of a bird for Khordib's little girl, when the Jaffa pokes his head in Ozien's tent.

"Heya De-... Uh. What was it?"

Ozien looks up at the rough, accented voice and tenses. "Ozien."

The Jaffa grins. "Yeah. That. Can I come in?"

Well, what's he supposed to say? No? "Sure."

The Jaffa walks in and holds out his hand. Ozien frowns at it, and the Jaffa chuckles, pulling back his hand.

"Okay. Name's Bent'auc. You call me Benny, though."

Ozien sighs. "Look, I don't know who you think I am-"

"You're Colonel Dean Winchester."

"Kernel? What kind of a name is that?"

Benny laughs, a warm belly laugh. If Ozien weren't so on edge right now, he's pretty sure he'd be starting to like the Jaffa. He's weirdly loose and... and not stoic. It's odd. Kind of comforting. In a really strange, unsettling sort of way.

"That was my first reaction, too. 'S'not a name. 'S'your title. Position. Rank. What have you."

"Rank?" Ozien echoes. Benny nods.

"'Colonel' is a ranking in your world's military."

Ozien's head is spinning with too many questions by now so he opts to stare at the Jaffa. Benny seems to get the hint.

"You are the leader of a team called SG-1. That's us; me 'n' the others. We're part of a program called Stargate Command, stationed on a planet called Earth. We explore other planets. Well, at least you did til you died a year ago."

Ozien chokes. "I'm dead?"

Benny frowns at Ozien for a brief moment. "Obviously not."

"You're Jaffa," Ozien finally manages to hiss. He probably should be asking how he died, but he really, _really_ doesn't want to know. Benny's chuckling again. He seems to do that a lot.

"Yeah. I was First Prime of Lilith before we met. You actually were the one who talked me into leavin'."

"Did I?"

"Yep. Some of that other stuff we do? Fight the Goa'uld."

Ozien frowns. "Because they're false gods?"

Benny's face splits into a wide grin. "Exactly. Startin' to remember?"

Ozien shakes his head. "They don't believe in the Goa'uld as gods here either."

"Right, the name they gave you is Enochian," Benny says with a nod, but he looks a bit disappointed. "We don't meet many people who worship the Ancients. Kinda a nice change."

Ozien... or should he start thinking of himself as Dean now? hums quietly, looking back down at the carving in his hands. He's almost finished with it. It's for Khordib's daughter's day of birth celebration. Tomorrow. Ozien didn't know what else to give her.

"Whatcha makin'?" Benny asks, interrupting Ozien's thoughts. He holds it up for the Jaffa to see before silently continuing his work.

"You make all these too?"

Ozien looks up to see Benny's moved over to the shelf of all the carvings he hasn't given away.

"Yes. I don't remember anything about my life, but I seem to have a natural talent for working with my hands."

Benny's picking one of the carvings up and Ozien strains to see which one. He's not entirely sure how to describe the feeling that settles in his stomach when he recognizes it.

"You know what this is, Dean?"

Ozien grimaces at the name. It's just still too strange.

"No. I just... I just carved it one day. I don't know what it is."

Benny walks back over to Ozien, holding out the carving for both of them to see. "It's your Impala. Back on Earth. It's a... a form of transportation that you Tau'ri have. You're rather proud of this thing. Call it your 'baby'."

"Impala," Ozien murmurs, eyes fixed on the carving. There's something... something there... something just out of reach...

Benny's eyes are sparkling down at him excitedly. "I gotta show Sam this. I'll bring it back, I promise. If that's okay. Just... If you carved this, Dean... That means the memories have still got to be in there somewhere, right?"

"I... I guess..."

Benny beams. "Great. I'll bring this right back."

And he's gone before Ozien (Dean?) can even mutter a goodbye.

* * *

Ozien/Dean (gods, he doesn't even know what to call himself anymore) isn't sure how long his peace lasts. He's putting the final touches on the bird carving when the redhead walks in. She gives a little wave and holds out the carving Benny had taken. The Impala. Which is supposedly a form of transportation that he owns. Back on Earth.

"Hey," she says with a smile. "Wanted to bring this back."

"Thank you," Ozien mutters quietly.

"Course." She walks over to place it with the rest of the carvings and then turns back to him, rocking on her heels. "So..."

"What's your name?" Ozien asks, eyes fixed on the wood in his hands. The left wing is being particularly stubborn about smoothing out.

"Oh! Heh. Sorry. I'm Charlie. Bradbury."

"Charlie," Ozien repeats, curious to see if the name feels familiar. It doesn't. "Are you a... a 'colonel' too?"

"Me? No, I'm still just a major."

"Major is a lower ranking than colonel?"

Charlie looks like she has no idea how to react to that question. Ozien wonders if maybe that was a bit offensive on his part.

"Sorry," he starts, but Charlie shakes her head, smiling.

"No, it's okay. It's just... It's weird that you have no idea, you know?"

"No, I don't."

"Right," Charlie says, looking awkward. "Of course not."

It's quiet for a few moments, Charlie fidgeting so much it's almost painful. Ozien's starting to wonder why in the world she's acting so awkward. They were supposed to have been friends, right? All right, so Benny hadn't actually used the word "friends", but it seemed to be kind of assumed. Ozien had to be missing something. He's just about to ask when Charlie suddenly does this really sharp intake of breath like she's finally figured out how to say what she wants so Ozien stays quiet.

"Look, so, I wanted to ask you about the name they gave you. Ozien, right?"

Ozien nods. That's not at all what he was hoping for, but he'll work with it. At least it's not awkwardly quiet anymore.

"Sam said it's Enochian. Means 'his own'. Why would they name you that?"

Ozien sighs. He'd been so glad when everyone had finally moved on from their fascination with the scar. It'd made him feel so uncomfortable, being scrutinized and looked at so strangely. He could still tell people were in awe of him, but it was less obvious now that they'd gotten used to it. Now it seemed like it was going to start all over again.

He rolls the loose left sleeve of his top up and winces as the scar comes into view. It doesn't burn like it used to, it's dulled down to just being constantly sore, but it's still just as angry and red.

"Oh my god," Charlie breathes, stepping forward with her hand outstretched. She stops herself before she touches it, though, and looks at him. Ozien gives a half-hearted shrug and lets the sleeve drop.

"They think the handprint means I've been claimed or something by one of their gods. I take it I didn't have it before."

Charlie shakes her head, eyes still wide and staring at where the scar's now hidden. "Could be a clue as to what happened to you."

"You mean, how I came back to life with no memory of anything?" He sounds bitter and he knows it, but he can't really bring himself to care.

"Well. Yeah. Don't you want to know?"

His mouth twists. "I don't really know. I've gotten comfortable here. Like this. I guess I'm curious, but at the same time..."

Charlie frowns and sits down in front of him. "At the same time, what? I feel like if I were in your shoes, I'd be dying to figure out who I was and what happened."

Ozien shrugs, looking back down at the wooden bird. That wing is still being stubborn. "What if I don't like who I was? I keep thinking what if I'm happier not knowing? If I... I don't know, wasn't a good person?"

It's quiet for a moment before Charlie speaks again, her voice stronger than Ozien's heard it before.

"Dean."

Ozien looks up, not sure if he hates how easy it is for him to react to that name, even if it is apparently his.

"Trust me when I say this. You're a good person. In fact, I haven't met a lot of people who are as 'good' as you. Sure, you have your faults, but who doesn't? The fact is, you're a hero. I've lost count of how many times you've saved my life. Our team's lives. Our planet. Hell, the whole galaxy is in debt to you several times over."

Ozien (Dean) smiles wryly. "Sounds hard to live up to."

Charlie grins. "It comes naturally to you. That's the best part."

He tries to give her a real smile. He's pretty sure he fails. Charlie stands, still smiling, and rubs at the back of her neck.

"I'll leave you alone. Bet you're feeling a bit overwhelmed today, huh?" She doesn't give him the opportunity to answer, walking over to the entrance of the tent.

"Wait, uh, Charlie?" he says quickly before she can disappear. She stops, looking back at him with wide, questioning eyes. Ozien (Dean) hesitates briefly before asking, "Was... was there anything... between us?"

Charlie's eyes go even wider for a second before she grins and chuckles, shaking her head. "You mean romantically? No, I, uh. I go for the ladies."

"Oh," Ozien (Dean) says lamely. He wonders if that's common back on... Earth, was it? He's never heard of it here. Then again, his experiences have been extremely limited in the village.

Charlie's still smiling warmly at him. "You and I are really close friends, Dean. Even outside all the saving lives stuff."

All he can do is nod as she leaves, letting the tent flap shut behind her.

* * *

It's gotten dark by the time the next member of the team comes by Dean's tent. He's starting to try to think of himself as Dean by now, though it's still a bit weird. On the other hand, it's not as weird as it was to get himself to start referring to himself as Ozien, even though he hadn't had any name to work with before then. For some reason Dean seems to fit a bit better.

He's finally finished the bird for Khordib's daughter. The stubborn wing ended up slightly smaller than the other from all the sanding, but he just tells himself it gives the bird personality. He's just setting it down with the other carvings with the slight blonde girl walks in the tent. She smiles at him.

"Hi. Don't suppose you remember my name, do you?"

Dean shakes his head. "Sorry."

She shrugs, still smiling, and walks up to him, holding out her hand. Dean takes it slowly, unsurely. "Jo Harvelle," she says, gripping his hand tight and shaking it.

"Are you a major or a colonel? Or something else I don't know about yet?" Dean asks curiously. Jo looks pleasantly surprised by that question.

"I was a major last time you saw me, but I got promoted after..." She trails off, gesturing aimlessly with her hand.

"After I died?" Dean supplies. Jo winces slightly.

"Yeah. I'm a colonel now. They gave me your job, actually. Though, it's all yours if they clear you and everything back home."

Dean frowns. "Won't you be out of work?"

"Nah, they'll just give me SG-3 or something. As long as I'm still out there, traveling the galaxy and fighting bad guys, I'm good." She grins at him again, and Dean just blinks at her. She's a lot more sure of herself than Charlie was at first. Maybe Charlie's just naturally awkward. Jo seems to definitely be more outgoing.

"Though, to be honest, it would be kinda nice to stay on SG-1. It's been fun to work everyday with Sam, Charlie and Benny. And it'd be great to work with you all the time, too." She punches him lightly on the arm, and Dean stares at her with wide eyes.

"Are... are you flirting with me?"

Jo immediately flushes, her cheeks turning a bright pink. "No," she says a little too quickly. "Well. Maybe," she amends. "Gimme a break. You don't remember anything, right? So you don't remember any of the history that might make things weird. Girl's gotta try."

Dean has absolutely no idea how to react. It's not like there haven't been women in the village who have flirted with him (apparently he's attractive?), but never as brazenly as Jo. Dean's pretty sure usually he'd just go right along with it, but there's something about Jo, something sitting there in the corners of his mind unwilling to come forward, that just makes it so he _can__'__t_ flirt back.

And then suddenly she's in his space, faces just inches from his, her eyes full of determination. Dean's mentally flailing for some clue, some memory of what the hell he's supposed to do, as her lips press against his, soft, tender, and just _wrong_.

Jo Harvelle.

Dean pushes her away as memories hit him hard over the head. Jo Harvelle. Daughter of Ellen Harvelle. Long time family friends. Jo's dad, Bill, had been killed overseas when she was a kid. Jo had had a crush on Dean for a while, but she'd always been like a sister to him. Besides, Ellen would have his balls on a platter if he ever took advantage of Jo.

Through the daze Dean can hear Jo calling his name. He shakes off the haziness and blinks wildly, Jo's concerned and slightly panicked face slowly swimming back into view.

"I thought your mom didn't let you go off world," he says, straightening and rubbing at the bridge of his nose. Jo's eyes fly wide.

"You remember?"

Dean winces. God, he's got a killer headache now. "Only a little bit. Mostly about you and your parents."

"Oh my god, okay, stay right here," she says excitedly, rushing back to the entrance of the tent. "I've got to go tell your brother."

Dean looks up. "My brother?" he echoes, confused.

"Yeah, Sam. The tall guy with the long hair?"

"He's my _brother_?"

Jo grins wildly. "Yeah. I gotta tell him you're starting to remember."

Before Dean can ask more, she's gone and he's left staring at the tent flapping shut, trying desperately to remember this giant of a man who's apparently his brother.

* * *

Both Sam and Dean are disappointed when Sam comes to the tent and realize that, while Dean now remembers the Harvelles, he still doesn't remember Sam. Or anything else for that matter. But instead of getting frustrated, Dean asks Sam to stick around and they talk for hours. Well. Sam does most of the talking, telling Dean about Stargate Command and the work they do. Dean asks him not to tell him too much about their relationship or anything personal, really, saying he wants to try to remember it on his own. Sam seems a bit discouraged by the request but complies without complaint. At one point Sam tells him that Charlie told him about Dean not being sure he wanted to remember and asks what changed. Dean shrugs.

"I guess I got a taste of what it's like to remember, and now I want it all."

"So you'll come home with us? Back through the 'gate?"

"Yeah. I'll come home."

* * *

In the morning Dean packs up what little he actually calls his own. Mostly it consists of the wood carvings. He gives the bird to Khordib, telling him it's for his daughter and thanking him for all his hospitality. Khordib tells him he hopes Dean is able to regain his memories and the reason one of the gods laid claim on him. Dean grimaces at that a bit but smiles and nods anyway before turning back to SG-1 and walking through the Stargate.

According to Sam Dean's been through the Stargate numerous times, but this is the first time Dean remembers it. The sudden change of scenery is shocking, and he stares around at the large room with his mouth ajar. He only stops when SG-1 stops, an older man with a scruffy beard in front of them. He's smiling toothily, eyes sparkling, as Dean approaches him.

"Colonel Dean Winchester," he says, accent just as scruffy and rough as his beard. "Good to see you again."

"Um. You too, I'm sure."

The man looks behind Dean, probably exchanging a glance with one of the team members behind him, before looking back at him with a frown.

"You don't remember me at all?"

Dean shakes his head. "No. I'm sorry."

He nods curtly, holding out his hand, which Dean takes cautiously. "General Robert Singer. Just call me Bobby, son."

Dean nods back, not quite sure why the man's calling him "son". His last name isn't Winchester like his and Sam's. Dean suddenly realizes there are tears swimming in the man's eyes.

"Aw, c'mere, ya idjit," he says gruffly, and before Dean can react he's being yanked into a tight, warm hug. It's strange, but suddenly Dean's not questioning being called "son" anymore. Bobby may not be John Winchester, but he's been more of a father to Dean these past few years than John ever was.

Dean chokes on the memories, yanking himself back from the hug and staring at Bobby with wide eyes. Bobby stares back like he's not sure what's going on until Dean finally manages, "Since when are you such a softie, Bobby?"

Bobby grins, clapping Dean on the shoulder. "Since you came back from the dead, boy."

* * *

Ellen checks him out herself over in the infirmary and is thrilled when Dean already remembers her. She lets him go with a pass of clean health and gives him some pills that she calls advil if the handprint scar ever gets worse than the dull soreness he's gotten used to. Dean's a bit surprised when she doesn't ask more about the scar and when he asks, she just shrugs.

"It's probably one of the weirder things I've seen, but if it's not anything serious, I don't have to worry about it. That's Bobby's job. Though your brother's probably giving himself an aneurysm over worrying about it."

Dean wonders if that says anything about how close he is with Sam.

Over the course of the day little things keep bringing back memories. The team is busy with their jobs most of the day, but Charlie stops by midday and they have lunch together in the cafeteria. Dean thinks the Jell-O is the most bizarre thing he's ever seen until he tastes it and suddenly remembers how awesome it is. Charlie laughs and tells him to wait until he remembers how much he loves pie. Dean's rather excited for when that happens.

In the midst of lunch Charlie makes a reference to Lord of the Rings which Dean not only recognizes but opens the door to remembering Charlie. Charlie loves the fact that it's something geeky like that that triggers his memories of her. Dean finds he isn't surprised at all.

Dean remembers Benny when he stops by the Jaffa's quarters and sees the candles lit all over the room. Benny's in the middle of them, eyes closed, and Dean's about to apologize and leave when the memories hit. When he resurfaces he plans to leave still, since there's no way Benny will recognize the intrusion in the middle of his kel'no'reem, but Benny's eyes are open. Benny explains about the discovery tretonin and how it's been harder for him to kel'no'reem since he lost his symbiote.

"Jesus," Dean mutters. "I've missed a lot in the past year."

"You could ask to read the files on the missions you've missed," Benny suggest. "Hell, I bet if you read some of the older stuff it could help with the memory thing too."

"That's actually a good idea," Dean muses. "Thanks, Benny."

Benny grins. "No problem, brother."

Bobby is more than willing to have someone drop off boxes of files for Dean to read when Bobby asks. Dean's not quite sure what to make of his muttering, "Can't ever write a damn report but more than willing to read 'em" as Dean leaves the office, though.

A couple hours into his reading, Sam walks in Dean's office wanting to know if Dean wants to stay at Sam's apartment for the night or sleep in his quarters on the base. Dean tells him he'll be fine here, he wants to keep reading these files anyway. Sam had an odd expression on his face when Dean actually looks up and says quietly, "I'm sorry about Jes'ika."

The odd expression falters and Sam takes a couple steps toward him. "Do you remember her?"

"A little bit. I remember that she was taken host by a Goa'uld. Azazel, right?"

Sam nods, looking like he wants to say something more but can't quite form the words. Dean's starting to feel a bit guilty for having remembered so much but still remembering nothing about Sam other than his dead wife.

"Well. I-I still have a lot of work to do so I'll... I'll be in my office if you need anything tonight."

Dean frowns. "You're not going home?"

Sam smiles slightly. "No, I just wanted to offer you a real bed instead of the shit ones we've got here."

"Shouldn't you get some sleep, though?"

Sam's smile turns a bit sad. "I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've pulled an allnighter."

Sam turns and exits, leaving Dean staring after him and thinking he should've probably known that already.

* * *

Eventually the words on the pages start to blur and coffee isn't helping. Dean lets out a wide yawn and trudges over to his quarters, falling face first on the bed without undressing. He's asleep almost immediately.

He dreams.

He dreams of a tall man with dark hair and a strong jaw. He dreams of a beautiful woman with blonde hair and a loving smile. He dreams of fire and the woman-_Mom_-disappears. The man turns sad and drunk-_Dad_-and leaves Dean to take care of the baby, the kid with shaggy hair who grows up way too fast. _Sammy__._

He dreams of meeting Bobby, an old friend of Dad's. Bobby and Dad yell a lot. Bobby explains it away with John's a Marine, Bobby's Air Force. Dean's sure it's more than that but joins the Air Force anyway. Dad's pissed, but not as much as he is when Sammy doesn't join any branch of the military and goes into archeology and linguistics instead. He gets even more pissed when Sammy starts creating theories involving aliens. Dean just tries to keep them talking until Dad dies. Liver failure. Dean loses contact with Sammy.

He dreams of Lisa and Ben. He dreams of the crack of a gun filing him with dread as he and Lisa run out into the front yard to find Ben dead. He dreams of Lisa leaving, too grief-stricken to stay. He dreams of following his father's drunk footsteps, consumed by the guilt of it all being his fault. He'd left his sidearm out where Ben could get it.

He dreams of the call from Bobby. The annoyance at being called back from the brink but the inability to say no to Bobby. The surprise when Sammy's there at the meeting too. The disbelief when Bobby tells him about the Stargate. In the end, he only agrees to the first trip through the 'gate because he's sure it'll be suicide. That, and he's still got that constant urge to keep Sammy safe.

He dreams of years going by, content in the Stargate Program, content with his position in SG-1. Happy to be with Sammy again. Even if the planet seemed to be in constant danger, or even sometimes the galaxy. Even if Azazel was a son of a bitch who took his sister-in-law from another planet as a host, and Lilith's even worse. Dean's content with being where he is. Doing what he's doing.

He dreams of the dogs. Some sort of Goa'uld hybrid, Charlie guesses. Benny's never seen anything like them before. He dreams of Sammy getting in the way of a bunch of those rabid monsters. He dreams of pulling Sammy out of danger and ordering them all to get to the 'gate, he'd hold the dogs off.

He dreams of the ripping and the tearing. The screams that sound nothing like his own voice.

He wakes up in a cold sweat.

He tumbles off the bed and out the door, rubbing at his eyes to get rid of the sleep. After a few moments of frantic wandering, Dean realizes he actually has no idea where Sam's office is. He forces himself to stop and digs through the now swarm of memories, trying to find the needed information. Finally he looks up and heads straight for Sam.

There's only one light on in Sam's office, and Dean makes a mental note to give him shit for killing his eyes like that. The gigantor is hunched over what looks like pictures of the ruins back on the planet they found Dean, sipping tiredly at the mug of coffee in his hand. He looks up when Dean skids to a stop in the doorway.

"Dean? You okay?"

Dean's suddenly fighting back tears, which is absolutely ridiculous, so he's silent for a few moments as he blinks wildly until he can force out, "I remember you. I remember everything."

Sam's eyes fly wide, and he's standing up, the stool clattering to the floor as he rushes over to Dean. There's a brief moment of hesitation before the giant idiot is wrapping his arms around Dean, and Dean's wrapping his arms around the giant idiot, still blinking back tears.

He'd been dead. He'd been dead for a year. But he's back. God, he's back for some ridiculous, stupid reason, but he's back, and Sammy's here. Sammy, and Charlie and Benny, had made it out okay.

And life could go back to normal.

* * *

Glossary of Stargate terms:

**Stargate**: The Stargate is a device created by the Ancients that permits nearly instantaneous travel between two planets or other bodies inside a stable wormhole established with a second Stargate.

The Stargate is shaped like a monumental standing ring. The stationary outer ring and concentric spinning inner ring work together to set coordinates that permit interstellar travel. The outer ring contains nine chevrons that lock on an inner ring symbol, or glyph. Seven are used to set a destination within Earth's galaxy.

Although the Stargate can be dialed manually by providing a power source and physically moving the inner ring around (a technique used in emergencies), usually a Dial Home Device (DHD) is used. These waist-high freestanding structures are generally located next to the Gate itself.

**Stargate Program**: The Stargate Program was so named by the United States government after Dr. Sam Winchester translated the hieroglyph inscription of the coverstone found with the Stargate that was discovered in Jerusalem in 1928.

**Stargate Command**: Stargate Command (SGC) is the military and scientific body for the Stargate Program, which administers and maintains the U.S. government-sponsored teams that go through the Stargate.

**Goa'uld**: The Goa'uld are aquatic parasitic creatures which evolved into intelligent, but extremely evil, beings. A symbiote, as it is also known as, invades a host, usually human, through the back of the neck (some have been known to go through the front) and blends into the host's biological structure, attaching itself into the brain and thus gaining access to the host's knowledge and voluntary muscular system.

**Ancients**: The Ancients are the builders of the Stargates. They were a race of humans who lived millenia before those on Earth. When the Ancients came to the Milky Way Galaxy, they were known as the Altera. The group known as The Others are the Ascended Beings of the Ancients. Those Ancients who did not ascend with The Others died of a plague that swept through the galaxy a very long time ago.

**Jaffa**: The Jaffa were originally human, taken from Earth millennia ago, and were genetically altered to incubate a Goa'uld larva inside a pouch in the abdomen. While a Jaffa carries a symbiote, he or she is given a longer life, increased strength, and an enhanced ability to recover from illness and wounds. The symbiote acts as the Jaffa's immune system. Once a symbiote has been implanted inside a Jaffa, it cannot be removed without killing the Jaffa. When the symbiote matures, it is removed from the Jaffa and placed in a host, usually a human, thereby becoming a Goa'uld that can act and communicate on its own. The Jaffa must then receive a new symbiote or die.

Because of the advantages in strength and healing ability that the symbiote conferred, many of the male Jaffa became warriors serving under a Goa'uld (e.g., Benny was in the service of Lilith). The Goa'uld maintained their power over the Jaffa that served them by telling the Jaffa that the Goa'uld were gods

**SG teams**: SG teams are usually composed of four members, but some units have been known to have more or less. Each team is designated as SG-x, where x is the unit number. Some SG teams are designed for specific functions, such as first contact, military backup, engineering, archaeological expeditions, or diplomacy.

**Tretonin**: While its effects are short-term and require regular injections, tretonin enables a Jaffa to not only survive, but live a normal life (by human standards) without a symbiote. The drug reinforces the immune system damaged by the implantation of a symbiote.


	2. Homecoming

Dean's a little too wired after that to go back to sleep, and Sam's downed too much coffee anyway so they stay up. Sam catches Dean up on what he's missed in the past year: the discovery of tretonin, Charlie's new girlfriend, the handful of System Lords Lilith's taken out, Benny's introduction to Pirates of the Caribbean. Eventually the conversation teeters off, both of them uncomfortably avoiding the issue they know is at hand.

"So you got outta there okay," Dean says after a few quiet moments. Sam's mouth twists unhappily.

"Benny and Charlie had to literally drag me to the 'gate, but yeah."

Dean frowns. "I didn't think the dogs got you that bad."

"They didn't drag me because I was wounded, Dean," Sam says, and wow, that's definitely a petulant little brother look right there. "They dragged me because I wasn't about to leave you. Not that they were happy about it, either, but they follow your orders more readily than I do."

Dean hums in reply. That was probably obvious, but he'd been a bit preoccupied with being torn to shreds at the time.

"What about Ruby? You hear from her lately?" Dean's not entirely sure he wants to know the answer. The Goa'uld/part-time Tok'ra was not on his Christmas card list. The Tok'ra had never fully trusted the apparently reformed Goa'uld so neither did Dean. Hell, he even had issues with the Tok'ra half the time.

"Nah, not since she disappeared on that last mission. Think Lilith got her hands on her."

"Lilith the one behind the dogs?" Dean asks. Sam shrugs.

"What we assumed. We got out of there too quickly to figure out anything and by the time Bobby let us go back there wasn't a trace of... of anything left," Sam says, swallowing thickly. "No dogs, no body. Hell, Dean, there weren't even bloodstains. Whoever was behind it did a good job cleaning up afterwards."

Yeah, okay, the thought of his body ending up in some Goa'uld son of a bitch's hands was not settling well in Dean's stomach. He's quiet for a few moments, shoving the thought away in a deep dark corner and dead bolting the door. He'll confront the thought more when he has a lot more alcohol at his disposal.

"Pam still around?" he asks after the deadbolt is satisfyingly locked. Sam looks up with a frown.

"You mean with the Tok'ra? Yeah... Why?"

"Same snake? Mizor'i? The psychic one?"

"She's not actually psychic. She's-"

Dean waves a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, same thing." He's pretty sure the bitchface Sam gives him isn't really supposed to make Dean realize how much he's missed the idiot.

"Yeah..."

"Think she'd be able to figure something out?"

"If by something you mean how the hell you're back from the dead, I have no idea. But we could ask."

Dean nods. "Let's do that."

Sam looks skeptical. "That's your plan. Talk to Pam and Mizor'i?"

"You got a better idea?"

"I don't know, maybe you could try to remember?"

Maybe it's the way Sam snaps it, like it's Dean's fault, but it's strangely hurtful. Dean grinds his teeth for a moment before replying.

"I don't know if you noticed, Sam, but I just had thirty years of my life rush back to memory in just a few hours. Also, I was dead. Not sure there really was anything to remember."

Sam sobers at that, but it doesn't do anything for Dean's mood. He's pretty sure he's been doing a decent job hiding it after the initial hit, but he's still whirling. He'd spent weeks, months maybe, as Ozien. Become comfortable as Ozien's skin. He'd still been trying to accept himself as Dean Winchester instead when all the memories had come crashing back. It's hard to handle. And Sam isn't helping.

Which is strange because, the way Dean remembers it, Sam's supposed to be the nice and patient one.

* * *

Dean decides to go ahead and kill two birds with one stone when people start showing up to the base in the morning and goes to talk to General Singer about not only calling Pam but reinstating him as colonel and head of SG-1. Bobby thinks Pam and Mizor'i is a great idea and probably breaks a few rules and regulations by telling Dean to check in with Ellen once more and that'll be it before he's got his job back. After getting a full bill of clean health from Ellen, Dean tracks down Jo to apologize for taking her job. Jo grins at him, knocking him on the arm lightly, and tells him it's totally fine. She's colonel now anyway, Bobby'll give her another team to lead and Ellen can't do anything about it. Really, she's just glad Dean's back.

Pam is pretty quick to answer their call, telling them she'll be there within the hour. When she's set to arrive, Dean goes to the 'gate room to wait for her, bouncing a little with anticipation.

Pamela Barnes was an old friend of Bobby's and, therefore, an old friend of Sam and Dean's. A few years back she'd been told she had terminal brain cancer. Around that same time the SGC had been working out an alliance with the Tok'ra. Bobby, again breaking a few rules and regulations (come to think of it, General Singer did that a lot... Dean figured it was just because no one else was crazy enough to take the job that Bobby was still around), had called Pam in. By then, she'd lost her sight. Bobby explained everything about the SGC to her and that the Tok'ra were offering to heal her if she accepted becoming a host. Pam had thought he'd been playing a cruel joke on her at first since she'd always been one of those somewhat questionable people who believed in UFOs and such, but when he managed to convince her, she barely hesitated before saying yes. Now the cancer had cleared and her sight had come back, and she was living happily with the Tok'ra. All of this had the added benefits of keeping relations between the SGC and the Tok'ra on the better side of things and the fact that her symbiote, Mizor'i, had this weird capability to see things others couldn't. Easiest way Dean had found to understand it was the Tok'ra was psychic.

"Dean, Dean, Dean," Pamela chants, shaking her head. Dean grins at Pam as she walks down the ramp towards him, the 'gate fading closed behind her.

"Hey, Pamela."

"So," she says, hands on her hips and looking at him from head to toe. "Back from the dead. Figures."

Dean chuckles. "Too stubborn to stay away."

"Uh-huh. I get the feeling it's a bit more than that."

Dean lets his smile fade a bit. "That you or Mizor'i talking?"

Pam's mouth twists in amusement. "A bit of both, I suppose. Bobby said you got a piece of evidence we can work with."

Dean nods, tugging off one side of his jacket and rolling up the sleeve of his tee underneath. Pamela bows her head for a moment, eyes flashing when she looks up. Her lips pursed, she fits her hand to the handprint. When she speaks, it's the lower, distorted voice of Mizor'i.

"Something powerful brought you back, Colonel Winchester. Something dangerous."

"We kinda figured that one out for ourselves," Dean bites, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the scrutiny of Mizor'i's gaze. She looks up at him sharply.

"Don't sass me, boy. Do you want my help or not?"

Jesus Christ, Dean had forgotten just how intimidating the Tok'ra was. "Yes, ma'am," he says quietly (not meekly, never meekly). Mizor'i gives a tight nod before bowing her head, and suddenly it's Pamela smirking up at him.

"What color Jell-O does the cafeteria got today? I'm thinking I'll grab a bowl before Mizor'i and I bunker down to figure your situation out."

* * *

Dean's pretty sure he's somewhere between amusing and annoying the hell out of Charlie, but he's bored. And, well, he's missed an entire year of pop culture and Charlie is more than willing to help him catch up. He's in the midst of righteous indignation over the Star Trek remake (despite Charlie insistence it's great) when Pamela and Sam walk in Charlie's office. Dean looks up at them, temporarily forgetting the wrongness of James T. Kirk portrayed by anyone other than Shatner. Pamela looks exhausted, but Sam looks impatient and a bit twitchy.

"Whaddya got for me, Pam?" Dean asks, frowning at the look on Sam's face. He almost looks _excited_.

Pamela shakes her head, sitting down on a stool wearily. "I've got a name and nothing else. Castiel."

"Castiel?" Dean repeats, feeling out the name on his tongue. It's strange, but it doesn't seem that foreign.

Meanwhile, Sam's not containing his excitement very well. "I did a little research on the name. Castiel didn't show up anywhere, but I did find a Cassiel."

Dean raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Cassiel is an angel."

Dean frowns, confused. Luckily, Charlie decides to voice what he's thinking for him. "Angels don't exist, Sam."

Sam looks a bit dismayed at that but barges forward anyway. "We don't know that. But I'm not actually suggesting an angel brought you back to life, Dean. The Goa'uld all have demon names, right? And-and Enochian is supposed to be the language of the angels, right?" He stops there, looking between Charlie and Dean, waiting for them to catch on. After a moment of thought, Dean thinks he might be doing just that.

"Wait, are you saying... are you saying an Ancient brought me back from the dead?"

Sam grins. "Not just an Ancient. An ascended being."

Dean's silent for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around it. An Ancient, a member of the species that created the 'gate system, supposedly brought him back. After years of only having a basic understanding of the Ancients, all from over a billion years' distance and a few rocks Sam translated, one of them stepped out of whatever plane of existence ascended beings hung out and brought Dean back.

"_Why_?" Dean asks hoarsely. Sam shrugs, not seeming as concerned about the question as he really should be.

"Dunno. But, Dean, do you know what this means?"

Dean rubs at the bridge of his nose, all too aware of both Charlie's and Sam's stares. Luckily Pam seems too tired to really care about the drama anymore.

"It means one of the douchebag lightbeam beings finally stepped up to the plate and did something," he mutters. "I just wanna know why they chose _now_ and why _me_."

"We don't know they're lightbeams, Dean. That's just a theory-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dean interrupts, waving a hand to cut Sam off. "So an ascended being brought me back. We have any way of talking to this Castiel guy and asking him why?"

"I... I don't..." Sam looks back to Pam who looks like she's about to fall asleep, her head resting on her crossed arms. "Pam?"

"Tok'ra don't know anymore about the Ancients than you guys," she mumbles. "Fact, pretty sure you guys know more. Tok'ra Council's annoyed the SGC's been more successful on that front than they have for ages."

"So there's really nothing we can do, right?" Dean says, ignoring the look on Sam's face.

"That we know of? Basically."

"There you go." Dean gestures at Pam. Sam looks kinda outraged.

"But-"

"Sam!" Dean interrupts with a bark. "Leave it! You can go ahead and try to figure something out, but do it on your own time. Otherwise, we move forward. Act like nothing ever happened."

"Act like you weren't dead for a year?" Sam gripes.

"Yes," Dean says flatly.

"Dean-"

"That's an _order_, Dr. Winchester."

The look of shock on Sam's face reminds Dean why he always hated having to pull rank on the team. The team was family, but someone had to be in charge. Call the shots. And the job had fallen on Dean's shoulders.

It's quiet for a moment before Sam works to school his features into a tight pinch. "Yes, sir," he mutters stiffly and turns heels, stalking out the door. Dean resists letting out a loud sigh and looks at Pamela.

"Why don't you head to bed for a few hours, Pam? Before you go back through the 'gate?"

Pam lifts her head, eyes still closed, and nods. "I think I'll do that. I'd invite you to join me, but I don't think I'll be much fun."

Dean tries to chuckle but can't quite conjure the right amusement. "Get some sleep. And Pam?"

She stops at the doorway, blinking blearily at him. He give her a warm smile.

"Thank you."

She smiles back at him crookedly and gives a little salute. "Anything for the good ol' SGC."

Dean watches her leave. Mainly because he can feel Charlie's stare and it's been there since he pulled rank. He ignores it as long as he can before he finally lets out that sigh and meets her frown.

"What?"

_Now_ she drops the stare, shrugging. "Nothing. Just don't get why you seem to not want to know what happened."

Dean grinds his teeth for a second. "An _Ancient_, an ascended _being_ brought me back. After years of them not doing _anything_, of our only proof they even exist being ruins and the words of others, one of them has apparently brought me back from the dead. Whatever reason this Castiel or whatever had has got to be something _big_."

"Yeah, so... Don't you want to know?" At least she doesn't look as accusatory anymore. She just seems confused.

"When has 'something big' ever translated to 'something good' in our experience?"

Charlie's mouth twists. "Okay, you probably have a point."

* * *

Dean hitches a ride with General Singer to his place to pick up the Impala. Bobby assures him he's taken good care of her, kept her in pristine condition. Dean takes a few moments to re-familiarize himself with her, running his hands over her hood, sitting in the driver's seat for a few minutes and just smiles. The growl of her engine only makes his smile widen. God, he's missed her.

He drives around town for a while, just letting the purr of the Impala relax him. In the hardest times of his life, when Dad died, when Ben died and things with Lisa fell apart, so on, it's only been in the Impala that he's really been able to calm down enough to be okay. After a bit he realizes he doesn't really have a home to go to right now so he drives to a motel and rents a room. He figures he'll just live here until he finds a house. Or maybe he'll actually get an apartment. The only reason he'd had a house was for Lisa and Ben. That wasn't really an issue anymore. Hadn't been in years.

He spends most of the evening watching television. There's a Dr. Sexy MD marathon on and there are episodes he missed in the past year, so he's rather happy about that. His stomach makes a weird rumbly noise around twenty-one hundred hours so he rolls off the bed and treks over to a nearby gas station for food. He grabs a toothbrush and toothpaste and other little essentials as well (hey, beer's an essential, right?) before heading back to the motel, half a too-soggy ham and cheese sandwich in his mouth.

He watches a few more episodes of Dr. Sexy before deciding sleep might be a good idea. He takes a quick shower and is brushing his teeth when a crash of thunders rolls through the air. He frowns a bit but ignores it. Sure, it'd been pretty damn clear earlier, but things can blow in quickly. Whatever.

It's when the door and windows start rattling that Dean starts to realize something might actually be wrong. Spitting in the sink, he walks over to the window cautiously, looking outside. There's no sign of rain or wind or any sort of weather. Yet things are still rattling. Dean's reaching for his phone-to call who, he has no idea-when the the door slams open. Dean abandons the phone idea and grabs the closest weapon, a knife he usually keeps on an ankle holster that's sitting on the bed.

Through the door walks a man, confident like he belongs. All Dean notices about the man is the ridiculous tan trench coat that's dwarfing him before Dean lunges forward with the knife. He feels the satisfying give of flesh as the knife sinks into the stranger's heart and looks up to meet his eyes in triumph.

The stranger _smiles_ at him.

And, _god_, he's got intense blue eyes.

Dean steps back in shock, both at the fact the man's not dead and at his own actions. He knows better than to shoot/stab first, ask questions later. Sure, the stranger broke in and doesn't seem to be quite human, but still. He's an Air Force colonel. He knows better.

The stranger's pulling the knife out of his chest with absolutely no sign of pain and lets the knife clatter to the floor before walking a couple steps closer. Dean vaults for his sidearm, clicking off the safety and aiming it between the stranger's eyes. He forces his finger to not pull the damn trigger (seriously, what the hell is up with him?) and meets those wide blue eyes that seem all too innocent for someone who just pulled a knife out of his chest.

"Who are you?" Dean seethes, trying to hide how shaky his voice is. The stranger blinks at him, smiling again.

"I am Castiel."

Dean's brain kind of comes to a screeching halt and it takes him a moment to be able to stutter out, "You're... you're Castiel?"

Castiel gives a slow nod. "I am."

Dean takes a moment to look the guy over again, taking in more detail. God, if he's telling the truth, Dean's making first contact with an Ancient, with an ascended being, with the fucking race that created the Stargate system, right now. It makes him a little dizzy.

And, Jesus Christ, the guy looks like an accountant. A stressed out one at that, except for the way too zen look on his face. His dark hair is this ridiculous disarray, his trench coat is rumpled, as is his black suit underneath. Even his blue tie is on backwards. He's got a five o'clock shadow that looks like it's probably perpetual. And then you go back up to those eyes and it's like they're someone else's. So bright and calm. Even a little expectant, like he knows exactly what Dean is doing.

"So... so you're telling me that... that the ascended are holy tax accountants?"

Castiel's brow furrows in confusion at that. "I'm not sure I understand."

Dean waves a hand at Castiel. "We were under the impression ascension meant you all turned into little beams of light and whatnot."

Castiel looks down at himself, almost like he's surprised to see he's not a lightbeam. "This? This... We do have the capability of manifesting in corporeal forms. I thought it would be easier to communicate with you like this."

"Right." Dean's starting to consider lowering the gun. Logically, really, if the knife didn't work, the gun probably won't either. And, well. Ancient.

"So you come to explain why the hell you brought me back from the dead?" he says gruffly, letting the gun fall to his side but keeping his guard up. Ancient or no, the dude's a stranger. And the whole bringing him back thing is kinda a roadblock for any trust right now.

Dean's getting the creepy feeling the guy can read his mind by the way he's looking at him, appraising in a way. Castiel's quiet for a moment.

"You are needed," he says. "The fight against the Goa'uld is more dire than you know. An alliance is forming and Lilith is no longer your main concern. The alliance is headed by one Goa'uld the Taur'i have yet to meet. His name-"

"Whoa, whoa, wait, slow down," Dean interrupts, flapping a hand at him. "You brought me back to _fight the Goa'uld_? That's it?"

Castiel makes this little frowny face that might be kinda adorable actually in completely different circumstances.

"You are unique, Dean. You are a warrior unlike any the galaxy has ever seen."

"Bullshit," Dean says automatically. "There are six billion people on this planet alone. There's got to be trillions in the galaxy and that's just counting those who are still alive. You can't tell me that throughout the entire time there's been life in this galaxy there hasn't been someone like me. It's not... It's not statistically possible."

Castiel frowns again. "Good things do happen, Dean."

Dean snorts derisively. "Not in my experience."

Castiel cocks his head to the side. Like a dog. It's completely absurd. And he's stepping closer, looking up into Dean's eyes and, yeah, there's no way the dude's not reading his mind now, not with a look like that, and Dean wants to back up because, hello, personal space, but for some reason he _can't_ and, god, what the hell?

"What's the matter?" His eyes widen slightly, like he's found whatever he's looking for in Dean's head. "You don't think you deserve to be saved."

Son of a bitch. He _is_ reading Dean's mind. Dean tries to school his features, look angry for the violation instead of surprised and a little, well, _rather_ exposed. He's ready to move on from this topic of conversation.

"You were saying there's another Goa'uld."

Castiel blinks before taking a step back. Dean tries not to let out a breath of relief as he regains his personal space.

"His name is Lucifer."

Dean stares at the Ancient. "Lucifer," he echoes. "As in the devil."

"The Taur'i's devil was based off Lucifer, yes," Castiel says with a nod. "Much like many demons were based off other Goa'uld."

"And angels based off you," Dean adds. Castiel nods.

"Yes."

"So is Lucifer as bad as the Bible says?"

Castiel's quiet for a moment. "Many would say he's worse."

Dean drags a hand over his face wearily. Maybe he's already asleep and all this is a dream. He'll wake up, blame it on cheap gas station sandwiches, and move on. He rubs at his eyes for a moment hoping he'll open them and the ascended being standing in front of him will be gone.

No such luck, of course.

"So, what, he's been keeping quiet all these years and decided now would be a fun time to come back and wreak havoc?"

"Something like that."

Dean opens one eye, peering at Castiel with a frown. Something about the way he said that... Dean mentally shrugs it off and sighs. "Got any more tidbits for me? Maybe wanna help us fight?"

Castiel shakes his head, looking down at his shoes. "I cannot. We're not supposed to interfere."

"Isn't telling me about Lucifer and bringing me back from the dead interfering?"

Castiel looks back up. "Yes. But it was a risk I felt I needed to take."

"Risk? What'll happen if you're caught?" It's weird, but Dean feels a bit worried for the guy. The idiot's risking himself to bring Dean back just because he thinks Dean's special? That's not right. Castiel smiles mildly, though, like it's not a big deal.

"Oh, they already are aware of my actions. Whether or not they decide to act is another story. But I believe they will let this pass."

"They?" Dean echoes.

"The Others," Castiel replies with a nod. "All of my brothers and sisters who have achieved ascension."

"So, what, is there like a council or something?"

"We are a collective," Castiel says, shaking his head. "Decisions are made as one whole."

"But you're acting on your own," Dean points out, head whirling. He's getting way too much information thrown at him for someone who was about ready to get into bed for the night.

"Yes," Castiel agrees. "I... I often find I'm unlike my brothers and sisters. But that is unimportant. You should rest now, Dean. Tomorrow you begin the fight against Lucifer."

Dean opens his mouth to protest because, really, you just can't end a conversation like that, but Castiel is reaching forward, two fingers extended and before Dean can figure out what's happening the Ancient's tapped Dean's forehead and Dean crumples to the bed, blissfully fast asleep.

* * *

Glossary of Stargate terms:

**System Lords**: A system lord is a Goa'uld ruler who presides over a particular area of space. System lords may maintain starships to preside over their domain, and they usually use Jaffa warriors (who bear the symbol of their lord on their foreheads) as soldiers. Many system lords obtain tribute from worlds they control, often in the form of mining operations that result in valuable ore. Many of the system lords mentioned in are demons of Earth myth (i. e. Lilith, Azazel). Those whom they rule consider the system lord to be their god.

**Tok'ra**: The Tok'ra are a group of human-symbiote pairings that actively oppose the Goa'uld. They use infiltration and guerilla tactics as needed. They are allies of the SGC and frequently provide manpower and starships to help Earth. The symbiotes are the same species as the Goa'uld, but they oppose the forced taking of hosts. The Tok'ra symbiotes seek a truly symbiotic relationship with their hosts, one of true sharing, rather than a parasitic one.

**Tau'ri**: Tau'ri is the name the Goa'uld gave to the humans of The First World, called such because it is where humans evolved into being. Therefore, the First World is Earth. All humans in the Milky Way galaxy are descended from the Tau'ri of Earth.


	3. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**A/N**: I am so, so sorry for how long this chapter took. In the past month I have gotten a job, moved into an apartment, and emptied out my pockets to pay for internet so life's been kinda crazy. I'm also sorry because I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, and therefore won't be updating during the month of November. But I promise this story isn't going to die. I won't let it. I've got too many things planned...

* * *

"You're kidding," Sam says flatly, staring at Dean with wide eyes. Looking around at the rest of the team plus Bobby, all gathered in the briefing room, Sam's not the only one reacting disbelievingly to Dean's story. Dean frowns at them.

"Do you really think I'd've asked for this briefing if I weren't?"

"You sure it wasn't just some freaky dream?" Charlie asks.

"Yes," Dean answers testily. "And even if it was, it was a little too detailed and clear for this Castiel to not put it there."

"Yeah, but," Charlie starts, still looking doubtful, "Lucifer? A Goa'uld? Really?"

"Benny, you heard of him?" Dean asks. Benny nods slowly.

"I've heard of him, but he was always just a story. If he's real, he's been gone for generations."

Dean gestures at Benny. "There you go."

"It kinda makes sense, actually," Sam says, looking excited. "I mean, we already know a lot of demons were inspired by Goa'uld, and Castiel was an angel's name. I bet Lucifer was just a super-charged, brutally ruthless Goa'uld." He looks up to meet Dean's eyes. "Dean, we've been thrown into some sort of full-on biblical adventure!"

"Goody," Dean murmurs, silently questioning Sam's use of the word "adventure".

"Colonel."

Dean looks up at Bobby's gruff voice. The general's stayed silent up to this point, his ever present frown impossible to interpret.

"Do you trust this Castiel person?"

"I don't trust him as far as I can throw him," Dean replies without hesitation. "But he is an Ancient. They're supposed to be the good guys, right? And even if he isn't on our side," Dean adds quickly when Bobby's frown deepens, "it's worth looking in to. If this Lucifer really is a threat, we need to be prepared."

Bobby's quiet for a moment, staring at Dean consideringly. Finally he nods. "All right. What do you suggest?"

"We could contact Master Ru'phus," Benny says. "He should be able to tell you more of the stories about Lucifer than I can."

Bobby nods. "I'll get a message to him right away. Dismissed."

* * *

It's only later that day when Ru'phus arrives at the SGC. He and Bobby waste no time with pleasantries (not that they would anyway: Ru'phus is basically the Jaffa version of Bobby) and join Dean and the rest of SG-1 in the conference room as soon as Ru'phus steps through the 'gate. Ru'phus gives Dean an appraising look before nodding curtly.

"The afterlife spat you back out, did it? I'm not entirely surprised."

Dean smiles wryly. "Good to see you too, Ru'phus."

The general moves to sit down, Charlie, Dean, and Ru'phus following suit. "I take it you've got something for us."

"More than anticipated, even. But I will get to that. You want to know about Lucifer," he says. "I assume Bent'auc has already told you he's always been a legend to frighten Jaffa children. The few times I've heard Goa'uld speak of him even they speak of him with fear. It's said that when he rises again he'll bring with him a group of four other Goa'uld with him. These four are only known as War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death."

"The Four Horsemen?" Sam interrupts, eyes wide. Dean frowns at him.

"As in the dudes from the Bible?" he asks. "Armageddon and all that?"

Sam nods excitedly. "The Four Horsemen are War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. They're supposed to ride the Earth when the Apocalypse starts. When the Devil rises from Hell."

Ru'phus is frowning at the both of them. "I don't know anything about an apocalypse, but it's said when these five return the Goa'uld will have no need for Jaffa anymore."

"Meaning what?" Charlie asks, looking perturbed.

"Meaning there will be no more Jaffa. They will wipe us out." Ru'phus's quiet for a moment, letting this sink in. "As far as I knew this morning, all of this is just stories. But my spies in Lilith's ranks sent word to me after you contacted me. They've only managed to catch whispers, but these four Goa'uld, the, ah, Four Horsemen as you call them, have started to circle through the... What's the phrase? The vineyard?"

Charlie smiles affectionately. "The grapevine."

"What's your point, Ru'phus?" Bobby asks, frowning.

"I've only ever heard these four Goa'uld spoken of by Jaffa in the stories of Lucifer. I've never heard of any Goa'uld mentioning them. And now not only are they speaking of them, but they speak of them enough that my spies have noticed it." Ru'phus looks around at each of them gravely. "I don't know what brought up the topic of Lucifer, but the fact that just after you contacted me I heard this information from my spies concerns me. I highly doubt that it is mere coincidence."

It's quiet for a moment. Ru'phus has a point. And it's starting to maybe worry Dean.

"Sam, if Lucifer's supposed to be worse than the Bible says, would that mean these Horsemen Goa'uld are worse too?" Dean asks, something uncomfortable swirling around in his stomach. "We about to be launched into some sort of galactic apocalypse?"

Sam shrugs, looking contemplative. "Maybe. That'd be a better question for Castiel, though, I'd expect."

Dean can't help the scowl he gives at the ascended being's name. Ru'phus, however, frowns again.

"Castiel?" he echoes.

"He's what brought this issue of Lucifer up," Bobby explains. "An Ancient who brought the colonel back from the dead. Told Dean he needed to fight Lucifer."

Ru'phus looks mildly impressed. "Is that so?" He gives Dean a scrutinizing look that Dean absolutely hates. Dean opts to ignore it and turns to the general expectantly. Bobby's looking troubled, and that does absolutely nothing for Dean's mood.

"Seems like something big really is coming up, whether it's some sort of apocalypse or not," he says gruffly. "I'll let the Tok'ra know as well, see if they have any additional information. Until we have something we can actually do something with, though, I want business as usual. SG-1, you're dismissed."

"Wait, business as usual?" Sam says quickly, even as Charlie and Dean stand. Dean stifles a groan. Bobby turns his frown on Sam, an eyebrow raised. Sam throws Dean a look clearly asking for backup, but Dean ignores him pointedly.

"Bobby, if this is really the Apocalypse-"

"That's a big 'if' there, son," Bobby interrupts warningly. Sam forges on.

"Yeah, okay, maybe, but that's where all the evidence is pointing, right? So if it is the Apocalypse then shouldn't we get ourselves ready?"

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"I-I don't know, research? Enough of this seems to correlate with the Bible, so-"

"If you want to do some research on this, Dr. Winchester, be my guest," Bobby says. "Just don't do it on my time. Until we have more to go on, we keep doing what the Stargate Program was started for. I understand the threat, Sam," he adds quickly as Sam opens his mouth to argue again. "Trust me, I do. But beyond talking to the Tok'ra, keeping our eyes and ears open, and doing any research you want to, I don't see what else we can do at this point."

"But-"

"Sam. Drop it."

Dean pointedly looks anywhere but at Sam. Bobby's orders sound too much like the order Dean had given Sam the other day, and there's no way Dean's the only one who's noticed. Sam's got to be getting ready to burst.

There's a terse "yessir" from Sam's direction followed by the sound of his chair being rolled back and footsteps stalking away and downstairs. Dean looks up at that point to catch a glimpse of Sam's hair disappearing down the stairs.

"Dismissed," Bobby repeats, voice gruffer than normal, and Dean leaves before Ru'phus can start interrogating him about death and ascended beings.

* * *

Charlie's apparently working on some new technological doohickey with Ash, and Sam's PMS-ing and probably dived headfirst into the fucking Bible, so Dean asks if Benny would like a little one on one game of basketball in the gym. Benny, however, wants to catch up with Ru'phus and Dean can't blame him (Ru'phus had trained Benny back in the old days and had been Lilith's First Prime before Benny). But it means that Dean ends up in his office, spinning in circles on his chair. He'd tried the cafeteria for Jell-O, but it was yellow today and that's just gross. So he's left here, getting slightly dizzy, going over the conversation with Castiel last night in his head.

Lucifer. Somehow he, Dean Winchester, is supposed to fight Lucifer. Who, apparently, isn't some sort of red dude with a moustache and goatee and horns (Dean gets a sudden vision of the typical big robed Goa'uld get up in a red skinned dude with a pitchfork and spiked tail), but is a fucking Goa'uld. And, apparently, there are Horsemen Goa'uld too. Nice of Castiel to tell him that. Not that that's important information or anything.

Dean lets out a groan of frustration. Castiel's a real son of a bitch for just giving enough information to freak everyone out and then disappear. Dean kinda almost wishes the bastard would show up and give them more.

There's a sudden whooshing sound, and Dean looks up to see none other than Castiel standing in front of him with a politely expectant look. Dean involuntarily lets out a yell, jumping back and almost toppling out of his chair. Castiel raises an eyebrow, eyes following Dean closely as he rights himself.

"Are you all right?" Castiel asks, and Dean gets the distinct feeling he's being judged.

"The hell are you doing here?" Dean demands angrily. "And how did you get in? This is a military base with security up the-"

"I don't exactly travel the way you do, Dean," Castiel says patiently. "None of your security measures could stop me."

"So, what, you can teleport?"

Castiel inclines his head slightly. "In a manner of speaking."

Dean forces back a grumble, willing his heartbeat back down to normal. It's still racing from the shock of Castiel's sudden arrival. "What are you doing here?"

"You called for me," Castiel answers simply. Dean blinks at him, frowning. He hadn't said a word, he'd just thought the git should show up...

"So you are reading my thoughts!"

Castiel frowns. "Is there a problem?"

Dean blanches. "Is there a- Of course there's a problem! No reading my thoughts, dude! Not only is that creepy, but that's a major violation of privacy! Stay outta my head!"

Castiel only looks mildly confused, which isn't really helping Dean's temper. After one too many moments of Castiel's unblinking stare, he nods.

"All right. But if you ever need my help in the future, simply call for me, like a prayer. I will tune out your mind but only enough that I can still be aware if you need me."

Dean has no idea how to respond to that. And he defiantly decides right then and there that he'll never call for this dick's help even if Dean's on his fucking deathbed.

"What was your question, Dean?"

Dean stares at the ascended being for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell the guy is asking. And then he's still confused because he didn't even really want Castiel here, what question would he have for him?

"The Four Horsemen," he says, suddenly remembering. "War, Famine, Death, and... and that other one..."

"Pestilence," Castiel supplies. Dean nods, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yeah, whatever. You said Lucifer was going to rear his ugly head again, but you failed to mention these guys."

Castiel inclines his head in a way Dean thinks is supposed to be apologetic. "I didn't realize you wouldn't make the connection."

"Yeah?" Dean says incredulously. "Dude, all you told me was that you brought me back from the dead because I'm supposed to fight Lucifer. I've never read the Bible so it's not like I know what it actually says about the guy, plus I get the feeling some things are wrong since he ain't a fucking alien in that book! And it's not like you said the damn Apocalypse is about to start!"

Dean's starting to think he'd really like to see Castiel lose his cool. Twitch or something. Because he didn't even blink at Dean's little tirade which is only making Dean feel more frustrated.

"What would you like from me, Dean?" Castiel asks with the same air of patience a parent has with their child.

"Answers! Tell me what the fuck is going on! Tell me what you expect me to do! Because I'm going into this blind, and I'm only here because you put me here!"

There it is. Castiel blinks. It's not much, but it's the first chink in the emotionless armor Dean's seen yet. The Ancient's eyes squint, and he takes a step closer to Dean. Suddenly Dean feels like, though Castiel is actually an inch or two shorter than the colonel, he's actually towering over Dean. Right. This is an ascended being he's yelling at. A dick he may be, but he could still probably turn Dean into dust with a look.

"Yes, Dean. You are only here because I put you here. And I can change that if necessary. I dragged you out of hell, I can throw you back in."

Dean blinks, confused. "Wait. What do you mean, hell?"

Castiel draws back with a snap. Dean gets the distinct feeling Castiel hadn't meant to say that. Something alien is crackling through the air, making the hairs on the back of Dean's neck stand up on end. Castiel gives him a squinty eyed glared like it's Dean fault.

"You obviously do not actually want me to be here so I will not continue wasting my time," he says peevishly. And then he's gone. Dean jerks at the sudden departure before recovering and hissing.

"Asshat."

* * *

Dean's just about to call it quits and head home (well. back to the motel, anyway) when the klaxons start blaring. He considers not checking it out, but Sergeant Chuck Shurley's voice then joins the klaxons, telling SG-1 to get to the control room. Dean grimaces. What if this has something to do with Lucifer? Big bad Goa'uld has probably decided to show himself first by attacking Stargate Command, and wouldn't that just be awesome? Readying himself for the worst, Dean jogs to the control room. Sam and Benny are already there, and Charlie shows up right behind Dean. He looks to where the general is standing, looking grim.

"SG-14 is on PX8-492. They were there to simply for negotiations: the people have a remarkable medical history and reputation and were willing to share some of their findings with us. However, there are two major countries on PX8-492, Ushuth and Heth, and they don't exactly like each other. We've been negotiating with Ushuth. We just received word from Lieutenant Walker that Heth has attacked Ushuth, and SG-14 is stuck in the middle of a very sudden war."

"Awesome," Dean mutters. Just what they need before all this Lucifer shit breaks out. Bobby gives him a brief frown before continuing.

"You and SGs-3 and -5 are going to PX8-492 immediately. Get SG-14 home."

"What about the negotiations, sir?" Charlie asks.

"I want you to do what you can to recover from the situation. From what Lieutenant Walker has told me, some of this information could do wonders for our modern medicine, and I'd still like it if possible. But this war isn't our fight," Bobby says with a significant look at Sam. "I don't want Earth getting dragged into a war that we have no part of, not when we have more dire things on the horizon."

Sam's jaw is tense, and Dean knows his grinding his teeth. Apparently he's still pissed off at Bobby. The general doesn't get any sort of argument from Sam, though, so he nods curtly. "Get suited up. You leave in twenty."

* * *

"Colonel!" Lieutenant Walker crows as he strides up to the 'gate to greet SG-1. "Haven't seen you since you came back from the dead! How are you?"

Dean forces himself to return Walker's smile. He'd gotten along with Walker when they'd first met, but after a few unfounded attacks on Sam Dean never really liked the guy. He was good at his job and was passionate, but he wasn't someone Dean would go out for drinks with anytime soon.

"I'd be better if I weren't here to save your ass," Dean replies, taking Walker's offered hand and giving it a firm shake. "I thought you couldn't get out."

Walker gives him a grim smile. "Note how I'm the only one here. Rest of my team is in the thick of it. I only barely got myself over here."

"I'm honored," Dean says dryly. Walker smirks, then jerks his head towards the long hallway ahead of them. For once the Stargate hasn't spat them out in the middle of a desert or a forest but in a building of some sort. Which is a little weird, but Dean reminds himself their own Stargate is not only in a building but under a mountain so. Walker starts down the hallway and SGs-3 and -5 follow. Dean shares glances with his team before sighing and walking after the group. Charlie, Benny, and Sam seem just as thrilled about this as Dean feels. General Singer had also warned them to keep the Lucifer issue to themselves. On a mission that's completely unrelated and until they have solid proof that Lucifer exists and is a problem, the general doesn't want it to be made a bigger deal than necessary. Which makes sense, but it doesn't really make Dean feel any better.

Dean picks up his pace a bit to catch back up with Walker. "So we got a pretty quick rundown on the situation. You wanna tell us what this war is all about?"

Walker's expression turns grim. "Honestly? I don't really know. Heth has never liked Ushuth and vice versa, apparently. Possession of the 'gate has been a sore spot, of course, but Ushuth has always managed to get Heth off their backs with various compromises. As far as anyone can tell this is completely out of the blue."

"Maybe Heth got tired of the compromises," one of the SG-3 members suggests. Dean has no idea what the guy's name is. Doesn't even recognize him, actually. Which forcibly reminds Dean just how much a person misses when they're dead for a year.

Walker is shaking his head. "This planet hasn't had any sort of war in over a century. They haven't even developed any new weapons since then. Ushuth at least still has a military, but it's really only out of tradition. They're not very organized, trained, or prepared for any real war-like situation. Violence just isn't anywhere near to their first choice of action."

"So are you saying Heth doesn't have a military?" Dean asks. A bunch of civilians running around killing each other for no discernable reason almost scares Dean more than a Goa'uld who inspired stories of the devil.

Walker shakes his head. "Nope. We're not even sure if this is actually an organized attack or not."

Dean frowns at him. "How could it not be organized?"

"Every individual attack is random and unique. The only reason it's been so devastating is because it all happened at once. Ushuth doesn't recognize how strange it is since they have no experience, so they immediately retaliated and it's only spiraled from there."

"Maybe they were random on purpose," Benny intones.

"Yeah, maybe," Walker says. "But I don't think so."

"Why not?" Dean asks. Walker shrugs.

"Gut instinct."

They reach a large open room at that point with a sizable table in the middle. A couple of the people are already in the room, most of them surrounding the table, deep in discussion. It's a war room, Dean recognizes, though he's not sure the men inside realize it. Walker lead the SG teams straight to the small group.

"General Milton!"

One of the men looks up and, seeing the group headed his way, breaks off and walks over to meet them. "Lieutenant. These are the reinforcements you promised?"

Dean eyes Walker at that. Reinforcements in not what they are. They're here to get SG-14 out and try to get any of that medical knowledge that they can. But Walker's nodding.

"General Milton, this is Colonel Winchester."

Dean stops glaring at Walker long enough to shake Milton's hand but returns to his glare as Walker introduces everyone else. After he's done, though, Dean can't help but notice how Milton looks like he's about to burst into tears he's so grateful. General, huh? These people really are in over their heads. Dean suppresses a sigh and turns to Milton with a forced smile.

"Before we get down to things I'd like to speak with the rest of Walker's team."

Milton nods fervently. "Of course. I believe they're in the field right now, and it might be a little while before we can get to them but I'll send Sarvis right away." He turns to one of the men who he'd been speaking with earlier. As he shifts Dean catches a glimpse of a girl sitting by the wall watching them. She's pale and small but with a shock of red hair just as noticeable as Charlie's. She seems to feel Dean's eyes on her and looks over to meet his gaze. Dean gives her a warm smile which she returns easily. There's no way this girl is old enough to be here, and that's exactly why Dean siddles past the general and over to her.

"Hey," he says gently. "My name's Dean."

"Anna," she replies, getting to her feet. She nods towards Milton. "I'm the general's daughter."

Dean glances back at the general who's watching them with an odd expression. "Your dad dragged you out to listen to a bunch of old men talk about war?"

Anna shrugs. "No where else to go."

Dean frowns. "Where's your mom?"

"She died in the first attack," the general intercedes gruffly, stalking closer. "After a tragedy like that families tend to stick together."

Dean barely spares him a glance. "I lost my mom when I was a kid. How are you holding up?"

Anna's wrapped her arms around chest and won't meet Dean's eyes anymore. "I'm fine."

Dean can't help the soft snort of disbelief. "Yeah, I'm sure. Look, it's okay to grieve for awhile. I like to pretend nothing affects me, but even I cried when my mom died." Granted, he was four, but Anna doesn't need to know that. What matters is that he's gotten a smile out of her.

Meanwhile Sarvis has returned wide-eyed and out of breath. "Most of the team is in the middle of the fighting, but Major Jones has been captured by the Hethians. They're trying to stage a rescue, but apparently they're having trouble since they have no knowledge about the Hethians' tactics or operations or... anything."

"Dammit, of course it was Jones," Walker grumbles.

"Woulda thought your team would've radio'd you about something like that," Dean points out.

"Actually, they said their radios don't seem to work where most of the fighting is happening," Sarvis says. The poor guy looks so twitchy right now Dean almost feels sorry for him. "They don't know why."

"Awesome," Dean breathes. Walker lets out a heavy sigh.

"I think you got this handled here," he says. "I should go regroup with my team."

"Wait," Dean says quickly. He turns his attention to SG-5. "I want you to stay here with the general and help. War room situation, all right, even if they don't understand what that means. SG-3, Benny, and Charlie, you go with Walker to the rest of SG-14. I want you all on the battlefront. Sam and I will see what the situation is about getting Jones back. Understood?"

There's a murmur of consent, and Dean nods curtly. "Get to it." He shares one last smile with Anna as Sam makes his way over to him.

"She's got to be just over eighteen, Dean," Sam hisses quietly. Dean frowns at him.

"So she'd be legal on Earth," he gripes. "But, dude, I'm more professional than that."

Sam doesn't look convinced but doesn't push it. "So what's the plans?" he asks as they head out. Dean shrugs.

"We sneak in and sneak out, grab Jones if we can. Can't do much planning with no information."

"Great," Sam says with a sigh. Dean frowns at him.

"You okay?"

Sam gives him the bitchface that translates to 'you know the answer to that, don't be an idiot'. Dean doesn't bend to it, though.

"We're on a mission here, Sam. You can't afford-"

"I can't afford to be worried about the threat of Lucifer?" Sam whispers so no one can hear. "Castiel told _you_ about him, Dean! I don't see why you're acting like this is nothing."

"Okay, first off, it's just a 'posssible' threat," Dean growls, looking around frantically to make sure no one's listening. "Second, you've never met Castiel so there's no reason for you to trust him so much. And I'm not acting like it's nothing, I'm focusing on the problems at hand!"

Sam looks like he wants to continue arguing, but they're coming up to where the rest of SG-14 is waiting, stationed behind a barricade with a handful of Ushuth citizens. Walker explains the plan to them quickly, and they point Dean and Sam in the direction the Hethians disappeared. Dean takes a quick look over the barricade to get an idea of the damage done.

"How does it look?" Charlie asks, looking grim. A scream punctuates the air and she winces.

"Well, it's not pretty. Untrained and panicked people and it looks it." It's not quite Baghdad, but Dean doesn't think he'll ever seen anything as bad as Baghdad. The sky is grey here instead of yellow-white. There's all the screaming and yelling of a battlefield, but there's a distinct lack of explosions and gunfire. But there'll always be a certain sickening buzz in the air when it's civilians killing and dying.

"Give us two hours," Dean says, yanking his head back into the present. "If you don't hear back from us within that time, I want you two to get SG-3, -5, and -14 back to Earth. Then, and only then, do you come get us and Jones. And if you can't, _don't_."

Benny and Charlie nod shortly. Dean nods back, satisfied. That's part of the reason he's having Sam go with him. Benny and Charlie will actually leave him if the situation calls for it. Sam won't.

"And see if you can do anything about the radios," he adds as he makes to leave.

"I'll figure out what the problem is," Charlie agrees.

Sam and Dean actually manage to creep past enemy lines rather easily. Dean's not sure whether to attribute it to pure luck or the inexperience of the Hethians. Probably both. But either way, it's making Dean uneasy. They end up underground, and the sounds of war suddenly are muffled and every little noise from there on out has Dean freeze for a moment. There's a low rumbling that steadily grows louder. Dean quickly turns to Sam and signals for them to hide now and fast. Unfortunately they're limited to ducking around a corner and waiting, P-90s held at the ready.

Dean takes a chance after a few moments and peeks around the corner. There are two people down the hall, but they've stopped walking and are talking in low tones. There's something strange about their voices, though. Dean can't understand what they're saying, not from this distance, but there's something odd, something familiar. And then their eyes flash gold.

Dean flattens himself against the wall, heart pounding with the realization. Sam's eyes are wide and concerned, silently asking. Dean shakes his head and grabs Sam by the elbow, dragging him back outdoors.

"The hell was that?" Sam asks indignantly as soon as they come to a stop.

"Walker's instinct was right about something else going on here. Those were Goa'uld."

Sam's eyes fly wide. "Shit," he breathes.

First Dean sees it. A mile or two ahead is the building where the general and SG-5 are stationed and suddenly it's foundation is crumbling and the whole building is on fire. Then there's the sound: the all-too familiar ear-shattering explosion that you can feel in your stomach. Last it's the feeling. Despite the distance, both brothers lose their balance and there's a rush of warm air. The two of them stare at the burning building with open mouths.

"Shit," Sam says again.

"Colonel!" It's the voice of Harmon, team leader of SG-5, crackling to life over the radio. Dean grabs it quickly, snapping out of his shocked stupor.

"What the fuck just happened, Harmon?"

"We're not sure, sir!" Harmon replies. "It was a chain reaction, I think, so it started out small and we had a little warning to get people out. My team all made it and a couple of the Ushuth including that Anna girl, but the general, sir... The general's dead."

* * *

Glossary of Stargate terms:

**None for this chapter.**


	4. Brief Candle

**A/N**: This chapter's a little shorter than normal, but that's because the next chapter's probably going to be rather long.

Also, this is the last chapter until December. As I mentioned last update, I'm doing NaNoWriMo and my focus will be on that. Sorry! :/

* * *

"Naquadah," Charlie says the moment Dean and Sam return to the rubble.

"Yeah, I could've told you that," Dean grumbles. "Heth has Goa'uld on their side. Not sure if they're aware of that or if they're under Goa'uld rule now, but we saw the eyes and heard the voice. There's something more than just old feuds going on here."

"What about Jones?" Walker demands, storming up to him.

"We were a little distracted by the snakes," Dean snaps back. "How much interaction does your planet have with Goa'uld?" He directs the question to Anna, the only Ushuth he sees. The rest of them probably are getting bandaged up. She's standing off to the side, watching.

"Not much," she answers quietly, stepping closer. "We know enough to recognize them when we see them, but no one's seen one in centuries. The last great war we had was against them, but it was long before anyone still alive today was even born."

"I take it you guys won," Dean says, impressed.

"At great cost," Anna said with a nod.

"Colonel, sir," a small woman from SG-14 interrupts whose name Dean can't remember, but he's sure he recognizes her. "Sorry, but I think I just put something together. Earlier when Jones was captured, one of the Hethians called us snakes. I thought it was just a general insult at first, but..."

Dean frowns. "Why would they call you snakes? They're the ones with the Goa'uld..."

"Maybe they thought we were Goa'uld for some reason?"

"They'd only think that if they saw the gold eye flash or heard the distorted voice," Anna says.

The woman shrugs. "I don't know. I just feel like we would know, or at least the Ushuth would've been aware if a Goa'uld ship had landed on the planet."

Dean looks to Anna for confirmation of this. "I guess she has a point."

"So are we saying the Goa'uld could just be a hallucination?" Sam asks disbelievingly. Dean looks between Anna and the SG-14 woman, but neither look willing to commit to a statement like that.

"I don't know about the Goa'uld, but this naquadah is not a hallucination," Charlie says slowly. "Does the planet have naquadah mines?"

"No," Anna replies. "Unless the Hethians found a reserve and didn't tell us, which is entirely possible."

Dean sighs. "Okay, so all we have right now is confirmed naquadah from who the hell knows where and suspected Goa'uld."

"And Jones still in enemy hands," Walker adds, and Dean resists the urge to glare at him. He respects the man's concern for his team, but this has too quickly blown up into something so much bigger than Dean was anticipating dealing with today.

"Walker, take Benny and your team to get Jones. Benny, you got your staff weapon?"

Benny gives him a short nod.

"Good. Don't take any unnecessary risks and check in regularly. Be back in an hour. Got it?"

Walker doesn't look pleased, but he's never liked taking orders so Dean ignores it. Benny's nodding and pulling himself to get ready to go.

"SG-3 and SG-5, I want you back on the frontline. Your priority is making sure civilians aren't killed."

"Yes, sir."

"Charlie, Sam, Anna, we're staying here. Anna, you're giving us as much information as you can on Heth and the war with the Goa'uld."

Anna nods. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you." Dean turns to the other teams. "Go. Keep in touch as much as the radios allow." He watches them depart before turning back to Anna. "Start with when the Goa'uld arrived in the first place."

"Wait, Dean, I just... one moment," Sam interrupts quickly. Dean turns to frown at him to see he's got his phone out and is squinting at it with a rather intense expression.

"Anna, have there been any falling stars lately? It'd be really impressive, not something you'd easily miss."

"Yeah, actually, just a couple days ago."

"How's the water been?"

"We were hit with a really sudden drought," Anna says. "Just before the shooting star."

Sam gets that look that says he's figured it out, though Dean has no idea what 'it' is. These questions sound completely random. Sam's shoving his phone at him, however, so Dean's pretty sure he's about to figure out.

"I downloaded a couple versions of the Bible before we left Earth this morning. This is Revelations."

Dean frowns, taking the phone. "Isn't that the bit about the Apocalypse?"

"Exactly," Sam agrees. "Those verses right there are about one of the Four Horsemen. War."

Dean stops skimming the verses to look back up at Sam. Charlie's looking at him too, just as incredulous.

"War?" she asks.

"Sammy, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dean says slowly.

"That War is here?" Sam says, eyes wide and excited. "It would explain why the Hethians thought SG-14 were Goa'uld. And the hallucinations. I bet War is somehow making us all see Goa'uld everywhere and, bam, we've got a war on our hands. But War is Goa'uld so that would explain where the naquadah came from. It makes sense, Dean."

Dean rubs at the bridge of his nose wearily. "And here I thought we'd actually be able to not deal with this Lucifer shit for a day or two."

"We might need help on this one," Sam says slowly, watching Dean cautiously. Dean frowns at him.

"What do you mean?"

Sam shuffles a little, weirdly embarrassed and it hits Dean. He glares. "No. We're not calling in someone who may or may not be an Ancient. It's not happening."

"An Ancient?" Anna asks, sounding interested. "You mean the Altera?"

"Dean, you gotta have a little faith in him-"

"Not happening, Sam!" Dean yells. "I don't trust Castiel and, since I'm the only one here who's actually met him, my opinion is the one we'll be going off of!"

Sam snaps his mouth shut, looking like he'd continue arguing in any other situation. Dean's just glad he doesn't have to pull rank again. Charlie's looking thoroughly embarrassed and is looking at what must be a particularly interesting piece of rubble. Anna, however, looks intrigued.

"Who's Castiel?"

Dean shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Charlie, did you get any progress done with the radios?"

Charlie shakes her head. "Something's blocking the signal down on the battlefield. If this is War, I guarantee you it's on purpose."

"So you think it was on purpose that the news about the general was able to get through?"

Charlie shrugs. "Be my guess."

"And Benny and Walker are underground so we aren't gonna be able to get them on the radios either," Dean says with a sigh. "Sam, you go to them, let them know what you've figured out. Charlie, you go to the frontline, let everyone know there. Maybe we can stop this before it gets any worse. Anna, we're going to take a dive into this planet's history."

* * *

Sam returns first with SG-3 and -5, plus a group of haggard looking Ushuth. Most of them look skeptical about the idea of War, but Dean and Sam manage to get around fully explaining while still addressing questions.

By the time Charlie, Benny, and SG-14 return Dean's about ready to go after them himself. It's clear right away what took them so long, however, as Dean notices Walker's limp, Charlie's bleeding forehead, and the presence of Jones. Charlie throws Walker one last glare before walking up to Dean and hissing,

"We have a problem.'

Dean glances over her head at Jones and Walker and frowns. "Another one?"

"Remember that Sarvis guy?" she whispers as Sam comes up by Dean's side to listen. "The one the general sent to get SG-14 earlier?"

"Nervous guy. Yeah," Dean says with a nod. "What about him?"

"He was there when we were rescuing Jones. Looked completely at home, nice and inconsequential."

"Why would he be with the Hethians?" Dean asks, confused.

"You think he might be War," Sam says.

"Good choice of host," Charlie agrees. "Close enough to General Milton for him to be trusted and get an insider's view on the side of Ushuth. Enough of a pawn to blend in with the Hethians."

"Right. So we focus on him. See what he can tell us about stopping these hallucinations, then eliminate him," Dean says. "The four of us will take care of him, leave SG-3 to hold down the fort here."

"Right now?" Charlie asks, eyebrows raised. Dean frowns at her.

"Yeah. No time like the present."

Charlie rolls her eyes. "Well, for one, Benny and I are a bit wiped out, and I'd like to get this cleaned." She points at the blood trickling down the side of her face. "Considering War's host is Ushuth, he probably didn't get here by ship but through the Stargate, and he isn't getting back there without going through all of us." She gestures around at the large group surrounding them. "Plus, we're running out of light and don't know the lay of the land."

Dean looks up to look out at the grey sky. She's right. The grey is steadily turning black, and Dean hadn't even noticed.

"First thing in the morning then. We'll set up a guard and tell everyone not to let anyone through." He eyes her injury critically. "You need help with that?"

Charlie smiles wryly. "I'm fine."

"So tomorrow we're going to kill War," Sam says under his breath as Charlie walks away to find a med kit. Dean shrugs.

"Looks like it."

"Our lives are strange."

Dean turns his head to give Sam an amused grin. "Don't know what you mean."

Sam rolls his eyes, chuckling, and walks away towards a small group of scared-looking Ushuth. Dean lets out a sigh and observes the crowd of people surrounding him. There's what actually looks like a young family huddling together, two little girls who must be under seven clinging to their parents. An ancient-looking man's curled up by the remains of a wall, clutching himself and trying to sleep. A few SG members are scattered throughout, talking with Ushuth in what's hopefully encouraging tones. Dean's gaze finally lands on Anna, whose wide and curious eyes seem to indicate she's been watching him for a while. He smiles at her and walks over to sit by her side.

"How're you holding up?"

Anna shrugs casually. "I'm fine. How about you?"

Dean raises an eyebrow. "Me? This is just another day in the life for me."

"That's not what I was talking about," Anna says, turning her large blue eyes on him. For a moment there's something in them that reminds Dean of Castiel, but that's a bit bizarre and random, so he ignores it.

"Okay..."

Anna smiles softly. "Something's happened in your life recently, am I right? Something you don't know how to deal with."

Dean stares at her blankly. "How would you know that?" he asks, trying desperately to keep the hoarseness he feels out of his voice. Anna smiles again, ducking her head bashfully.

"My mother used to say i have a gift for reading people. Sorry if I scared you."

Dean continues to stare at her, something twisting uncomfortably in his stomach. There's a whole year missing in his life. A void of absolutely nothing. No pearly gates, no pitchforks. Just nothing. And the more Dean thinks about it, however much he tries not to, the more it feels like something is missing. And, though he won't ever admit it, it scares him.

"I... I can't talk about..."

Anna nods her understanding. "It's okay, Dean."

Dean feels caught in her gaze before he manages to tear himself away, quickly getting to his feet. "I'm going for a walk."

Anna stands up as well. "I'll come with you."

* * *

Dean tries to tell himself he's nothing like Captain Kirk as he wakes up with Anna in his arms the next morning. Maybe he has slept with more than your average number of alien women, but, well, how many people can say they've slept with one? Of course he's above average. And he's not like Kirk. Nope.

Anna shuffles in her sleep, and Dean winces at himself. It had probably been a good thing Anna had gone with him on the walk, actually. She could tell somehow that his head was in a dangerous place and tried to help. By kissing him. Something in the back of his mind could see Sam's bitchface when he finds out, but that was quickly pushed away as he kissed her back.

And, honestly, he doesn't remember the last time he'd had sex like that. Less fucking, more lovemaking. The last time was probably Lisa, actually, and that was a can of worms he was not prepared to deal with right now.

Anna... seemed to know exactly what he needed, exactly what he was 'd seemed somewhat fascinated with the handprint on his shoulder too, clasping her own hand over the scar in a way that had made Dean's heart jump up to his throat for some reason. The whole experience had been... oddly centering.

They were in a room that seemed to have escaped the worst of the blast. It still looked rather sorry, but there was a decent couch that was clean and intact that they were squeezed on. Dean can already feel his back protesting, however, so trying not to wake Anna, he slides out from under her and starts pulling his clothes back on. He frowns at Anna's small, naked figure and decides to leave his jacket with her like a blanket, just in case anyone walks in before she wakes up. Then he leave to find his way back to his team.

Sam gives him two eyebrows raised high when Dean returns, which he stubbornly ignores. He greets Benny and Charlie with a nod.

"We ready to go?"

"Walker let Sarvis through," Charlie says quickly through gritted teeth. Dean's eyes fly wide.

"_What?_"

"Apparently he figured the order not to let anyone through didn't include people he recognized."

"How long ago?"

"Just before we woke up," Charlie replies. "Maybe ten minutes ago."

"Well, then let's move!" Dean barks.

They all break into a run. Dean tells himself he's going to kill Lieutenant Gordon Walker after this is all done. The man's been a royal pain in his ass this entire mission, and if he's let War get away, Dean doesn't care if he'll get court martialed. The _idiot_. The swoosh fills the room just as they arrive, Sarvis/War on the verge of walking through.

"Stop him!" Dean barks at the handful of Ushuth guarding the 'gate. Sarvis/War whirls at the sound of his voice, glares, then widens his eyes in mock shock.

"Look at their eyes! They're Goa'uld!"

The looks on the Ushuth's faces would be funny in any other situation. There's six of them, plus Sarvis, but he seems a little more focused on getting away. Either way, they have the advantage of numbers and panic, and SG-1 only have the advantage of experience. Dean grabs Charlie by the collar and yanks her back to cover. A term he uses loosely because the hallway leading to the 'gate room is pretty open. Benny and Sam are scrambling back as the Ushuth break out in shouting and gunfire.

"Benny, you stop War before he gets through the 'gate, we'll deal with the Ushuth," Dean orders quickly. "Go!"

Benny barrels forward without a moment's hesitation. Dean ducks around the corner to let off a few rounds by the Ushuth's feet in an attempt to distract them from the Jaffa.

"Look, Sarvis isn't who he says he is!" Dean bellows as he pulls back to safety. "We aren't your enemies!"

"I don't think yelling at them is going to help much," Sam intones as Charlies pulls back from letting off a few rounds of her own. Dean throws him a glare. It's a little late in the game for Sam's adversity to violence.

"You got a better idea?"

Sam nods, dropping his P90 on the ground and stepping out into the 'gate room with his hands in the air. Dean swears profusely under his breath.

"I'm unarmed!" Sam says. "I just want to talk-"

Dean's not surprised with what happens next. The Ushuth are panicked and untrained, of course a trigger gets pulled despite Sam's words. Sam jerks back where he's hit in the shoulder, and Dean swears again, pulling himself out from safety and into the fray. Sam made it too far into the 'gate room for Dean to pull him back, but Charlie's diving headfirst into the fight as well. Up by the 'gate Dean catches a glimpse of Sarvis/War getting a staff blast right in the chest. He feels a moment of triumph but quickly realizes War's death hasn't stopped the Ushuth's attack. Sam is crumbling, clutching his shoulder, and two of the Ushuth closest charge him.

Dean can't get to Sam in time, and he knows it. He makes for him anyway, grimly thinking '_if you let him die, I swear to god..._'.

Before Dean knows what's happening there's a flash of dark hair and khaki fabric, and both Ushuth are on the floor either unconscious or dead. Castiel meets Dean's eyes as Dean skids to a stop. Without preamble Castiel grits, "There's a device on War's person that is the cause of all this. Destroy that, and this'll be over."

Dean stares back for a beat before turning to Benny and hollering, "Device on Sarvis! Shoot it!"

Benny drops to a knee, rummaging through the clothes on Sarvis's body until pulling out a small cube. He drops it on the floor, stands up, and shoots it with his staff weapon. The effect is instantaneous. The Ushuth who Castiel hadn't knocked out (by, it looked like, a simple touch) stumble, blinking rapidly.

"It didn't just cause hallucinations," Castiel says, confirming Dean's thoughts (hopefully not reading them). "It also caused high tempers and fear the longer a person was exposed."

Dean turns his stare back to the Ancient, still a little off-center from his sudden appearance. Castiel, however, is looking down with a hand outstretched to Sam. Looking stricken, Sam takes the offered hand slowly and struggles to his feet. Everyone's staring at Castiel, Dean can feel the tension of it, but Castiel looks nonplussed.

"Can you-" Dean starts in a croak, clears his throat, and tries again. "Can you heal him?"

Castiel meets his eyes again, and Dean could swear he sees an apology in his expression. "I've already risked too much."

Dean grits his teeth. "You mean with the Others."

Castiel inclines his head in a confirmation. "I'm sorry."

"It's not that bad," Sam says, still looking awestruck at the presence of Castiel. Dean fights the urge to smack him.

"We'll let Ellen decide on that," he grumbles.

"Dean?" a small voice from behind them asks. "You're not leaving, are you?"

Dean whirls around at the voice, wincing when he see Anna in the entrance to the 'gate room with his jacket drowning her small figure. He's confused as to why she'd think they were leaving until he remembers the 'gate's still active. Right. He opens his mouth to reply but is cut off by the most emotion Dean's heard in Castiel's voice.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Anna's eyes widen as she sees Castiel, and she takes a tentative step backwards. Dean looks wildly between the two of them, feeling like someone just swiped out carpet from under his feet.

"You two _know_ each other?" he asks incredulously. Castiel looks betrayed, Anna looks caught, and none of that is making Dean feel any better.

"She's ascended, Dean," Castiel hisses. "She's one of the Others."

Dean turns to Anna for her rebuttal, but she simply looks guilty. Dean stares, waiting, _hoping_ for her to laugh and call Castiel insane.

"Is he telling the truth?" Dean asks a little more roughly than necessary. The world's narrowed down to just the three of them, even though he knows in the back of his mind they have a rather large audience. All he can think about is last night, and how if Castiel is telling the truth... Fuck.

"Dean, I didn't mean-" she starts, but it's not a denial, and Dean doesn't want to hear anything more.

"Are you fucking with me?"

Anna winces and backs down immediately. Castiel steps forward, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with you," he says in what is probably supposed to be a reassuring tone. "You're here to keep an eye on _me_, aren't you?"

"Supposed to figure out how far you've gone," she replies with a slight nod. "If we needed to stop you now before you take this any further."

"And?"

Anna's eyes flick quickly between Dean and Castiel before she answers. "You're fine. For now."

"Glad to hear," Castiel says, and if Dean didn't know any better he'd say Castiel was being sarcastic. He almost says as much, but the space next to him is empty before he even opens his mouth. He decides instead to give Anna one final scowl before returning his attention to where his team is all unabashedly staring. Sam's mouth is even hanging open.

"Dean, I didn't-"

"We're only halfway done," Dean says, ignoring Anna. "We've still got negotiations to try and finish. First, though, let's make sure destroying that thing," he jerks his head at the device giving off a small stream of smoke, "actually worked outside this room." He frowns at Sam still holding his shoulder tenderly. "And you're going to let me take a look at that."

No one argues or tries to get Dean to explain what just happened, so continuing to ignore Anna looking at him pleadingly, Dean heads back to where the rest of the SG teams are waiting. After a few moments, Charlie speaks.

"So that's Castiel, huh? Tall, dark, and mysterious. No wonder you've been keeping him to yourself."

Dean resists the urge to punch her.

* * *

Glossary of Stargate terms:

**Naquadah**: Naquadah is the most prized mineral in the galaxy. Both the Ancients and the Goa'uld used naquadah in the creation of their advanced technology. The Ancients made the first practical application of the mineral with the creation of their network of interplanetary Stargates, constructed from refined naquadah ore, similar to quartz. Naquadah is a stable mineral, capable of many applications and uses, including the creation of weapons of mass destruction and the generation of seemingly limitless amounts of clean energy.

Naquadah is used to power all Goa'uld devices, providing an efficient source of energy. Jaffa staff and other weapons, Goa'uld motherships and other space vessels, communications and sarcophagi are all powered by naquadah. It is even found in the bloodstream of the Goa'uld, though it is not known how it came to be part of the symbiote genetic make-up. Those taken as hosts by Goa'uld symbiotes absorb some of the naquadah into their bloodstream. The presence of naquadah in the blood is the key which unlocks the most vital Goa'uld technology, including the controls of a mothership, and both the ribbon and healing devices.

**Staff weapon**: The Staff Weapon is a two-handed weapon, presumably of Goa'uld origin, used extensively by the Jaffa. The weapon fires an energy plasma blast that is very destructive. The blast causes severe burns to the skin and is deadly if it hits a vital part of the body, such as the chest, by shocking the organs within. It tends not to cause a great deal of external bleeding, as the wound is quickly cauterized by the heat of the blast.

**The swoosh**: When the Stargate activates, a blue whoosh of energy emanates out from the Gate, destroying anything in its path. After this initial burst of energy, an event horizon, a two-dimensional energy field that permits entry to the wormhole and that looks like rippling blue water, is created within the ring of the Gate itself.


End file.
